More charges filed against Erie man in child-porn case

A 32-year-old Erie man accused in January of trying to hire an 11-year-old girl for sex and child pornography was indicted today on two additional charges -- possessing computer images of child pornography and possessing a handgun as a felon.

The new charges against the defendant, Douglas E. Melter, grew out of the initial investigation over the allegation that he attempted to entice the 11-year-old girl.

The girl never existed, and the FBI charged Melter as part of a sting in which he asked a prostitute to find a minor girl for sex and pornography, according to court records.

The grand jury indictment, filed today in U.S. District Court in Erie, also charged Melter with the felony of attempting to induce a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

The FBI, working with Erie police and Millcreek police, in January charged Melter with that count by filing a criminal complaint. The indictment supersedes the complaint.

Melter has a prior record for corruption of minors and conspiracy to commit burglary and receiving stolen property, according to court records. The FBI said investigators found a handgun inside his Erie apartment in a search related to the case involving the purported minor.

The FBI also searched a cell phone and netbook computer as part of the case, according to the indictment.